Painting in Gradient Colors

Guess who has their computer up and running?!?   THIS GIRL!!!  I can finally show you everything I've been working on!

This was one of those projects that seems really simple and easy when you think of them, but then only become a long drawn out project.  I have to admit, it was harder than I thought that it would be.  I, personally, think it's because I am my own worst critic, and boy did I keep criticizing myself over and over again.  I really wanted this to look perfect for my little lady.

When I started Operation Room Makeover for my young lady, her room looked like this.  

For the last 9 years it has looked like that.  It's so hard to believe that she was only 2, still in a crib a night, my belly was swollen with a sweet baby boy, she had these bright blond baby curls, and with this being our first home, I allowed her to pick out her colors when we painted her room.
She loved the colors 'pewrple' and 'yea-wow'.  So we went with it.  My very good friend and her husband spent hours lining up those strips on her walls.

Here are some before photos:

She's now growing up and becoming a young lady, with big beautiful eyes, and again I have let her pick out the colors for her room.  I like to let the kids pick out their own colors because I want them to have some input in how their room is going to be. After all, it is their room and a place for them to be able to retreat too.  It should say a little something about their style and personality.  And had I picked it out, I'm sure I would have picked a nice coral/pink color and we are currently in a no pink phase!  So that would have been a major no-no.

As a reminder, here is our vision:

Originally we were going to do some planking on her walls, but then we decided that we loved the look of the ombre or gradient walls.
There are a few different tutorials on how to paint an ombre or gradient wall out on the web.  I used this very basic one.  However, I changed it up a bit.  I add one additional supply.   Paint conditioner.   Mixing this into the paint allowed me to be able to paint a chunk of the wall and go back and blend the two colors together.

Supplies:

1 gallon of your lightest color (you will do 2 coats of paint in that entire color)
1 quart of your light to medium color
1 quart of your medium color
1 quart of your darkest color
a bottle of paint conditioner (optional)

Paint trays (a few of them)
Paint rollers
1 paint brush (this will be for blending and you will use it dry)

Step 1:  Paint your walls the lightest color first.   Do the two recommended coats, or until your previous wall color is covered completely.

Step 2:  Section your wall off into thirds, or fourths, if you have 4 colors like I did.

Step 3:  I started at the bottom of the wall and worked my way up.  So, my next color was the darkest color.  I mixed the paint conditioner into it with a 2:1 ratio.
Step 4:  Get another paint tray set up, with the next lightest color, and mixed with the paint conditioner ratio.  **Since we now working from the bottom to the top, you are going to have your colors go from darkest to lightest.
I did these in 1-2 foot sections.   I would paint the dark color and then immediately paint the next color, above the dark, and then blend the two colors together in a "x" fashion, with my dry paint brush, until I got them blended the way I wanted.

This absolutely was the most time consuming process.   Once I got on a roll, it moved pretty quickly.  It was finding the groove that was difficult.  So, speaking of difficulty; does anyone else get the constant, "Mommy??  Can I have a snack?"   "Mommy, can I go outside and play?"   "Mommy..."  Even when they just left the room that Daddy is in, to interrupt with these questions.  Why does it always seem to happen when I am knee deep in a project too?  

I digress, back to the walls.

You can see the section on the right there is wet, so I did the "x" sweeping motion on the bottom to blend the two colors together

Step 5:  Do a 2nd layer of paint color (which is #3 total), and then do the same thing in step 4, with paint color #4, your second to last of the lightest colors.  Remember, your lightest color is your base color.   And continue to blend with the same "x" movement all the way around the room.

Step 6:  Copy step #5, only with the last two colors.  Your base and second lightest color.

Step 7:  Sit back and admire your hard work.   You've earned a pat on the back.

This sounds a lot more difficult than it really was.  I promise.  It was the best way that I found that the paint would blend together with the dry brush.  The paint conditioner helped make it easier to blend the two colors together without the paint drying too quickly.

While her room is far from being completed, the biggest part of her room is now done! 

Here is a list of all the things that I still have left to do in her room:

• new electrical outlets
• new light switch
• wood treatment around the window
• wood treatment around the closet
• sand the wood treatments
• paint all the wood treatments
• new sliding closet doors
• new bedroom door
• wood molding around the room
• sand and repaint the bed
• sand and repaint the dresser
• paint the ceiling
• decorate!

I would say that I'm about 20% done.  Or so it feels like it!